Game apparatus



A ril 12, 1932. G, E JOHNSON i 1,853,900

GAME APPARATUS Filed Nov. '7, 1931 H fizp'zfor.

Glaazuoz EJo/nvon 15 lease the same.

Patented Apr. 12," 1932 PATEN F E GLADWIN E. .ionnsolv, or CHICAGO, ILnINoIs GAME APPARATUS Application filed November 7. 1931. Serial No. 573,555f

This invention relates to game apparatus, and in-its present embodiment is designed for a coin-operated amusement machine used for playing a card game. i embodied" in apparatusfor playing any game in which a movable indicator or plurality of movableindicators are used;

i The indicators are slidably mountedon upright members, and are'adapted to be pro-- pelled upwardly by manual actuation of a plurality of levers. The main object of the invention is to provide means. for retaining the actuated indicators against downward movement until the operator desires to re- Novel forms of mechanism for holding andfor releasing the are part of the present invention.-

In that embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, playing cards are re- 5 a produced on the face of a support along the 7 paths of the indicators, for designating the value of the play when the indicators come to rest. e In the drawings-f Fig. 1 is afront'elevation of a game apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse verticalsectional view taken on the line 2 -2 of Fig. 1. i Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical u sectional View of amodified form of apparatus; a

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section of a detail.

' of construction. v ,Fig. 5 isa horizontal sectionalview taken on the line 5+5 of Fig.4. t V

Fig. 6 is an enlarged ;detail taken on' the A line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

In the present-embodiment, a base 10 supports a casing 11, whiohcomprises rectangularly shaped walls forming a boxlike structure, and forwardly of the casing is a glass wall 12. The casing hasreproducedon its front wall13 a plurality of playing cards arranged in five vertical rows and eight hor-' izontal rows. Value indicating numerals are of the wall 13. The top 14: of the casing carries a depending crossbar 15 which is' connected by a horizontal cross piece 16 to the The invention may beindicators therod 17 below the indicator'19. Normally arranged inlanother vertical row at one side,

plurality of rotatable rods 17 are mounted in i shown at 18, and an indicator; 19 is slidably mounted on each of said rods. The indicator 19 is bored longitudinally and provided with an interiorly projectingpin 20 whiclii: engages the groove 18'and prevents rotation ofthe indicator 19 relatively to ther'od 17 The indicator 19 is also provided, exteriorly, with a spring pawl '21 adapted for engagement with a series oflon'gitudinallyldisposed I ratchet teeth 22 located on the wall be tween the vertical rows of playing cards.

A propelling lever 23 is fulcrumed on an upright support 24: which rises from the base 10, preferably in the same vertical plane the glasswall 12 for which it forms a mounting support. One propelling levervis provided for each'indicator 19. The lever 23 has a forked end 25 which loosely straddles the weight of the indicatorholds the outer end of thelever 23 in elevated position. Rub- I ber pads'26 and27separate the lever ends from the base 10. 2 t

To'play the game, the player manually].

actuates the levers 23, striking 'the' same sharply and thereby propelling the "indicators 19 upwardly, the extent of travelbeing determined by the force of the impact on the out'e'rendsof thelevers. The pawl 21 of the indicator 19 engages one of the teeth 22 'on the wall 13, that is, the uppermost tooth which theindi'cator haspasseditsztravel upwardly, and thus the indicator is held against return movement, as shown in Fig.

'2. The indicator 19willdesignate a particular playing card,=namely, the one to the left of the indicator, as viewed from the front of the apparatus, and when the ;five indlcators have been actuated as intended, and the 7 score noted, the rods17 may-be rotatedby actuating the crank arm 28 or by any other suitable means, which may be manually operated and coin controlled or automatically operated. In the present embodiment the loo dotted line position in Fig. 2, to the solid line position. The rod 17 is automatically returned to the normalposition after it has been rotated.

Instead ofmaking the rod ,17 rotatable, as

explained, the disengagement of the pawl -2l..trom the teeth 22may1readily be efiected by temporarily moving the rod 17 ,away'from the teeth 22, that is, by reciprocating the .rod 17 instead of rotating it.

Referring :now to the modified constructionshown in Fig. 3, it willibe seen that the .teeth :22 heretofore described have been .re-

:moved from the wall 13. .In lieuthereof.

projections -or .pawls 31 are fixed to a rod .32andthe indicator 19 is mounted on a nonrotatable rod 33. In this construction the engagementof the indicator 19 with. a pawl 31 holds the indicator .in its indicating position, and theactuation of the rod 32 results in ,disengagementiof the parts. i As shown in Fig. 13, therod 32 is mov-ably mounted in slots in the upper and lower supports 16, 10, so that theprod smay be moved away from the (T017133. The :rod 32 is automatically :re-

- turned to ,normal position .by a; coiled spring 1 not shown) connected to the rod .and 'to'the casing, as :isrwell runderstood. Obviously the .rod 32 might beamade rotatable to move the. ipawls i 31 'out of engagement with the indicavrt'or 19,a-for;;releasing :the indicator.

cGha-nges may-be made {in :dltfiilSFQf construction without departing from :the scope sof .mycinvention-and-Ido not intend. to be limited tothe exact form shownqand described, except :as .set forth {in-the appended claims.

.51 "claim 1. Game apparatus including an upright :memberwprovided witha longitudinally extending r-row !Of toothed project-ions, a-rod parallel with said toothed member :and

zmiounted in juxtaposition to the same, an inidicator sl-idable onsaid rod,. a:pawl :on the indicator adapted to engage the toothed member to'hold the indicatoragainst downward movement, means for propelling the'indicator upwardly on the rod, and means for *rotatingsthe rod to move the pawl on the indicator-out. of engagement with the toothed .member for releasing the indicator.

2...:Game apparatus including. a Vertical member provided with a longitudinally ex tending row 10f toothed pro] ections, a longituclinally grooved rod parallel with the toothed member and rotatably mounted in juxtaposition to the same, an indicator slidably mounted on said grooved rod, an internally projecting pin on the indicator in engagement with the grooved rod, a pawl on the indicator for engaging the toothed member to .holdthe indicator against downward movement, means for propelling the indi cator upwardly on the grooved rod, and

uneans'ior rotatingthe grooved rod to move the pawl on the indicator out of engagement with the tooth projections on the support and V to release the indicator.

3. Game'app'aratus including a casing, the

exposed surface of one ofthe upright walls of the casing carrying reproductions of play- .ingcardsarranged in rows, top.and bottom walls extending forwardly beyondsaid up- ;right wall, a plurality of rotatable rods vmountedin saidtop and bottom walls in juxtaposition to the upright wall, ,an-indicator slida-bly .mounted on each rod, means for propelling the indicators upwardly onsaid rods, meansbetween the rods and the upright wall forengaging the indicators, and means for releasing said engaging means. 7

4. Game apparatus including a casing,- the exposed surfaceofone of the upright walls of the casing carrying reproductions ofplaying I cards. arranged in rows, top and bottom walls extending forwardly beyond said upright wall, a plurality of rods mounted in saidtop'and bottom walls in juxtaposition to the upright wall, .an indicator slidably mounted on each rod, means for propelling the indicators upwardly onsaid rods, a series of toothed projections on said upright wall between the rows of playing card reproduc- ;tions,..a pawl 'onthegindicator for engaging said toothed projections, and Vmeans for actuating therod to release-thepawl-from said projections.

. 5. Game apparatusincluding a casing, the

exposed surface of one-of the upright walls.

of the casingcarryingereproductions of playing cards arranged in rows, top and bottom wallsextending forwardly beyond said upright wall, a plurality of rods mounted in saidtop and bottom wallsin juxtaposition to the upright wall, an indicator slidably mounted on each rod, means for propelling the indicators upwardly on said rods, means between the rods and the upright-wall foren- Igaging the indicator, and means for releas-' mg said engaging means, said means for propelling each indicator consisting of an upright support, a lever fulcrumed on the support, one end of the lever being forked and straddling the rod, and cushioning means between the lever ends and the base of the casing.

.6. Game apparatus including-an-upright member provided with a longitudinally extending row of toothed-projections, a rod parallel with said toothed memberand mounted in juxtaposition to the same, anindicator v slidable on said rod, a pawl on the indicator adapted to engage the toothed member to hold the indicator against downward movement, means for propelling the indicator upwardly on the rod, and means foractuatingQ the rod to move the pawl on the indicator out of engagement With the toothed member for V releasingthe indicator, said means for propelling the indicator consisting of an upright support adjacent'the rod, a lever fulcrumed' on the support, one end of the lever'being adapted to contact with the under side of the indicator, and cushioning meansbeneath the lever ends.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I afiix my signature this 3rd day of November, 1931.

o GLADWIN E. JOHNSON. 

